Renewable-front washboard.



No. 888,155. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

W. G. FROST.

RENEWABLE FRONT WASHBOARD. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1907.

WILLIAM G. FROST, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

RENE WAB LE-FRONT WASHBOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed August 9, 1907. Serial No. 387,768.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. FROsT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Renewable FrontlVashboards and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, reference being had to theaccompanying; drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the class of washboards in which theconstruction thereof admits of ready removal or insertion of the rubbing plate from the frame of the washboard, the invention havingreference particularly to the portions of the frame in which the rubbingplate and its backboard are held, and means for removably holding themin the frame.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and relativelyinexpensive washboard having a well known type of rubber plate, afurther object being to simplify and at the same time improve theconstruction of the frame and securing devices so that all will becompact and self-contained and adapted to be manipulated by the mostinexperienced when it may be desired to renew the rubbing plate.

With the above-mentioned and minor objects in View the inventionconsists in a washboard comprising a frame having certain novel featuresof construction embracing guides in which a novel form of clamp bar isretained inovably for securing the rubbing plate and backboard removablyin the frame. And the invention consists further in the novel parts andcombinations. and arrange ments of parts as hereinafter particularlydescribed and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a front perspective view of theimproved washboard Fig. 2, a rear perspective view; Fig. 3, a transversevertical sectional view; Fig 4, a transverse vertical sectional view ofthe frame without the clamp bar and the rubbing plate and backboard;Fig. 5, a horizontal sectional view of the frame on the line A A in Fig.3; Fig. 6, a horizontal sectional view of the frame on the line B B inFig. 3 Fig. 7 a fragmentary side view of the rubbingplate and thebackboard; Fig. 8, a fragmentary end view of the backboard; Fig. 9,

I a perspective view of the clamp-bar; Fig. 10,

a fragmentary detail of a side bar showing the portion with which theclamp-bar is c0nnected; and, Fig. 11, a longitudinal sectional view onthe line C in Fig. 10.

Similar reference characters designate like elements or features ofconstruction through out the various figures of the drawings.

The improved washboard comprises two side bars (6 and a which aresubstantially alike except that they are formed in reverse order so asto be right and left hand, and the rear middle portions are rabbeted outto an extent in length that is equal to the length of the rubbing plate,leaving shoulders I) and b at a suitable distance above their lowerends, and other shoulders c and c at a suitable dis tance from the upperends of the side bars, between which shoulders the rubbing plate is toextend, the side bars having shoulders d and d extending along theirforward edges and forming guide bearings against which the rubbing plateis to be held. These side edges farther up beyond the shoulders c and cto the upper ends of the side bars, leaving shoulders c and c or seatsagainst which the soap box bottom f is secured with its rear side flushwith the rear sides of the side bars, and a head-board g is secured tothe side bars and the soap box bottom.

A cross-bar 71 extends from one side bar to the other and has tenons iand i which extend into the side bars, the latter being suit ablyrecessed to receive them by being rabbeted somewhat beyond the shouldersb and b, and the tenons are secured by means of nails and j. Thecross-bar has alip 7r extending upwardly and its extremity is in thesame plane or flush with the shoulders I) and b, the cross-bar having arecess Z between the lip and the bearing shoulders (Z and d, the recessextending throughout the whole length of the cross-bar. The manner inwhich the soap box bottom is secured to the side bars insures greatstillness of the frame, which as will be apparent is augmented by theimproved cross-bar 7b as above-described, so that a fixed cross-barwhich is usually employed at the upper portion of a frame is notrequired.

A pair of guide ways m and m are formed by mortising in the inner sidesof the portions of'the side bars a and a adjacent to the jacent to thebearing shoulders (Z and d and bars are also rabbeted along their innerrear shoulders c and c, the guide ways being adextending above andpreferably' below the shoulders c and 0, so that portions of the guideways are in the thicker portions of the side bars and extend into theportions of the side bars which have been rabbeted out to form thebearing shoulders (Z and (Z, the guideways having broad guide faces nand 'n extending from their upper ends down to the shoulders c and copposite to the bearing shoulders d and d. p

A novel form of clamp-bar 0 is provided which has guide wings p and pprojecting from its ends, and at its lower rear side it has alongitudinal lip g having a beveled front face 9, the wings beingmovable in the guideways m and m and retained therein, the upper andlower ends of the guideways being stops for limiting the movements ofthe clamp-bar. The clarnp-bar may be moved upwardly so that the lip Qwill clear the plane of the shoulders c and c to receive the rubbingplate 7' and its-backboard t, the rubbing plate being normally heldagainst longitudinal movement by means of flanges s and 5 formed on theupper and lower ends thereof which embrace the backboard the latterhaving cross pieces u and a set into its ends for preventing warping ofthe backboard.

In practical use the clamp-bar 0 may be moved upwardly as shown in Fig.4, and then the rubbing plate and the backboard together may be insertedin the frame against the bearing shoulders d and d and in the recess Zof the cross bar h, and then the clamp-b ar 0 may be pushed down so thatthe lip 9 thereof will draw the backboard t tightly towards the bearingshoulders 11 and (1, thus securely holding the rubbing plate in theframe. A worn out rubbing plate may quickly be removed as will be understood, by moving the clap-bar upward so that the backboard and rubbingplate will be released and a new rubbing plate may be instantly insertedand secured, thus enabling the user to cheaply renew the perishableportion of the washboard.-

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Awashboard comprising a pair of sidebars having opposite guidewaystherein and bearing shoulders extending from the guideways, arubbing-plate and back-board on the shoulders, and a clamp-bar havingguidewings extending into the guideways and re tained therein, the wingsbeing movable laterally and the clamp-bar having a lip provided with abeveled face engaging the back board opposite to the shoulders.

2. A washboard comprising a pair of sidebars with longitudinal bearingshoulders thereon and a cross-bar with a lip extending opposite to thebearing shoulders, said side bars having a pair of guideways extendinglongitudinally thereof and having guidefaces opposite to the planes ofthe bearing shoulders, a rubbing plate seated on the shoulders and underthe lip of the crossbar, a back-board seated against the rubbing plate,and a clampbar having a lip engaging the back-board and having also apair of guide-wings extending into the guideways and slidingly engagingthe guide faces thereof.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM G. FROST.

Witnesses:

HARRY D. PIERSON, E. T. SILVIUs.

